Changes in burnout over the first 12 months in ministry: Links with stress and orientation to ministry
Working in Christian ministry is stressful because it is focused on the intangible spirituality of people within a secularized society. Consequently, clergy are at risk of burnout. An internal orientation to the demands of ministry (where ministers depend on internal sources of authority and coping,...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis
2007
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| In: |
Mental health, religion & culture
Year: 2007, Volume: 10, Issue: 1, Pages: 9-16 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Working in Christian ministry is stressful because it is focused on the intangible spirituality of people within a secularized society. Consequently, clergy are at risk of burnout. An internal orientation to the demands of ministry (where ministers depend on internal sources of authority and coping, such as spirituality and competence) is associated with low burnout in cross-sectional studies of ministers. However, little is known about stressors in early ministry and whether an internal ministry orientation is associated with burnout over the first year of ministry. Sixty graduating theological students completed demographic items, exploratory questions relating to the psychological effects of secularization, and measures of burnout, personality, and orientation to ministry. Most of these measures, together with ratings of stress and coping, were repeated after 12 months. Burnout increased over time in ministry, and ministers reported that ministry and relational issues were most stressful. Those with only a weakly internal orientation to ministry demands experienced higher levels of burnout on exit from theological college, and after 12 months. The results support a prediction from secularization theory, that the declining authority of ministers will have important consequences for their psychological health. |
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| ISSN: | 1469-9737 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Mental health, religion & culture
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/13674670600841819 |